Lima climate talks: The nuts and bolts of progress

As the United Nations climate talks enter their second and final week, some developments beyond the immediate spotlight are raising concerns – even as the recent bilateral agreement between the United States and China continues to generate broad optimism.

Nat Keohane, Environmental Defense Fund’s vice president of International Climate, is in Lima to help push for a concerted, global action to address climate change.

While the current talks were never intended to yield major results, countries risk falling behind on such key issues as agreeing on transparency and book-keeping rules that are critical for obtaining tangible and credible emission cuts, he reports.

Climate change is a long game. An effective international agreement is one that will promote greater and greater ambition over time – not just promises to reduce emissions at a single point in time.

That, in turn, requires a framework that not only asks countries to make commitments, but demands that they demonstrate credibly and transparently how they are making progress against those commitments. Such transparency is crucial to building the confidence and trust among countries that is a necessary foundation for greater ambition.

And the sooner work begins in earnest on the nuts and bolts of the agreement, the better the prognosis for the planet.